I just got a new 12 weeks old German Shepherd puppy and a 1 year old German Shepherd teenager.

My question concerns the type of play I should expect between the two. It seems that the 1 year old is more interested in playing than the puppy. The teen will run after him in the backyard and in the house and scruff him until he yelps at which point the play will pause for a few seconds. The puppy doesn't seem too shy about playing and he will often snap the side of teens' nose and ears. I guess my question is: when is it too much? Do you let adults and puppies play? If the puppy yelps but there is never any scraps or cuts, should I let them go at it?

Thank you

wolfy dog

06-24-2014 07:42 PM

It sounds like the one year old is bullying the pup and you need to take control. As soon as he is too hard on the pup, it is time out for 5 minutes. Does this teenager get enough exercise and training with you? Seems like a big project.
If you let this go, it can make the pup dog aggressive.

Genre

06-24-2014 08:33 PM

The teen does get exercise:
- Tug/fetch/general play
- Running
- Dog park
- Obedience left and right between all this

We (the pup is my wife) do a timeout when we feel like things are getting out of hand, but it seems pretty subjective since the pup usually comes back for more. My biggest fear is that the bigger one hurts the pup by stepping on him.